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Sunday, 26 February 2012

The Council of Elders convened their meeting the next morning, looking tired and fretful. The party trooped into the council chamber and were asked to sit while the Elders delivered their news.

It was revealed that Cafaror was in the process of becoming one of the undead. The situation was further complicated by the fact that he was an elf, and the council had very little knowledge of elves as they were rumoured to live many miles to the west and none had been seen in town for a long time.

Elysia asked what could be done for Cafaror; the Elders suggested that they take him to the elves and see if they might use their magic to heal the stricken fighter.

All that was known was that the legends spoke of a forest near the Sacred Lakes, a place where once mighty temples had stood. Nobody had any more information than that.

The team prepared themselves and set off that very day, heading north to the Moat House, from where their westward journey would begin. However, it was not long before they spotted something unusual in the fields near the river; a strange fin-like shape ploughing through the earth. Nobody was quite sure what it was and so Ferros, using his Speak with Animals, rode closer to investigate. He was not far from the fin when it changed course to move towards him and finally out of the earth burst a huge creature with a beak, four clawed legs and rows of plate-like scales across its back.

All the creature would say to Ferros was “Want horse! Eat horse!” and it leapt into the attack. Poor Ferros took the brunt of the attack and things were not made better when Alagon tried to fire at the creature and hit Ferros by mistake. With claw gashes, a beak wound and an arrow sticking out of him, Ferros succumbed to his injuries and hit the ground, bleeding profusely. Ferros’ horse was virtually bitten in two by the creature; it was a bad place to be a horse as it was more or less where the party had lost nearly all their mounts in the lion encounter.

Elysia and Alurax swung into action, the former with her magic missile attack, the latter with his trident. Two very accurate attacks sent the creature crashing to the ground, dead.

The party gathered themselves together and started to examine the creature, which was identified as a bulette. Olaf pointed out that the plates behind its head could be used by dwarven smiths to make shields of great strength and power and so Cafaror and the dwarf began to remove them and package them up.

They pressed on and arrived at Wolf Creek (the stream that fed into the river, where they had fought the wolves all those weeks ago) as twilight fell. They had an undisturbed night but at first light, as Alurax’s watch was coming to an end, there was a rustling in the bushes and the trident-wielding fighter went to investigate. The rustling moved further into the woods and Alurax followed it again. Then he found himself facing a tiny figure, no more than perhaps a foot and a half high, who had appeared as if from nowhere. The creature introduced himself as Phelim, a leprechaun and when the rest of the party were roused, they talked with him for quite a while until he started to get mischievous and began to appear and disappear, taking Alurax’s treasured trident with him. The irritated fighter was getting most irate and Elysia took over, talking with Phelim to find out if he knew of any information concerning the elves in the distant west.

He could tell them little, being a bit of a homebody as regards that particular stretch of woods. However, he did say that he believed the elvish homeland be beyond a forest known as the Centaur Woods, over the Golden Hills. Elysia asked him about flying horses, having not forgotten her sight of one in a previous adventure. Phelim looked alarmed at that and would only give some cryptic comments about two towers, one large and one small, with some very bad feelings about them.

The party made it to the Moat House with little more trouble. There had been no damage to their property since their last visit; the goblins across the river had not dared to cross it yet. With the presence of the goblins in mind and with no wish to waste time, the party skirted the region and headed towards the rocky outcrop at the edge of the forest where they had taken on the ogres. Night fell with the party still riding through the forest and they started to look for somewhere to rest up. A search for a suitable place revealed some scattered pieces of goblin armour in the undergrowth. The odd thing about the armour was that it had been crushed and crumpled by something very strong. A set of strange footprints led away from the site but abruptly stopped some way into the trees. As the party was puzzling as to what it could all mean, there was a voice from above their heads and they looked up to find a woody, moss-covered face looking down at them.

The creature revealed himself to be a treant by the name of Ashbone. He it was who had finished off the goblins whose armour the party had found and he assured them that if they chose to rest beside his trunk that night, they would not be disturbed. The party gratefully accepted the offer and Elysia talked with the friendly forest being for some time, gaining more information about their ultimate destination. She also tried to find out more about the two towers and the flying horses but Ashbone was as reluctant to divulge information as Phelim had been. He did however tell her that the elves would not be what she was expecting.

The third day of their journey saw the party come out of the forest and into the rough country that they had visited on their last trip west. They needed to cross it and had no idea what was waiting for them but the opposition soon made its presence felt and the eerie howls of wolves came floating through the badlands. Elysia sent Relic up to scope out the landscape and he reported back that the incoming pack was not just wolves – it was wargs and there were eleven of them.

Our gallant band now began to do something unexpected – plan for the attack. They managed to find a gully and while Elysia took up position with Cafaror and the horses further down the gully, Olaf and Zanurax braced themselves near the entrance. Ferros, Alurax and Alagon clambered up the sides of the gully and readied their bows.

The wargs came in fast and the arrows rained down. Olaf and Zanurax took the brunt of the attack at ground level and Elysia let fly with her Sleep spells, despite the wargs being nearly too powerful to be affected. It was a hard fight made all the more memorable by Alagon attempting to leap from the heights onto his horse and missing. He attracted the less than amorous attentions of two wargs but by then, the party had managed to kill or incapacitate all but three of them, who made a hasty retreat.

The day wore on and soon enough, the party was approaching the ruins of the old watchtower where they had fought the trolls. From a distance, they could see that it was not deserted any longer; there appeared to be somebody on the battlements and from the scale of the ruins, he had to be somewhere in the region of fifteen feet tall. He had long white hair and beard and it took quite some time before the party realised that he was a Frost Giant. Quite what he was doing so far from home was a question that did not get an answer since Alurax and Ferros went riding in, challenging the giant to come down and face them.

Elysia and the rest of the party rolled their eyes at such blatant aggression and headed on their way. The giant ripped a huge chunk of masonry from the walls and hurled it at the two approaching party members but it missed Ferros by a foot or so. A second chunk was about to be thrown when it slipped from the giant’s fingers and crashed to the ground. Alurax and Ferros rode even closer and their goal was achieved when the giant came hurtling out of the gatehouse towards them. He must have been either drunk or ill because he barely got a blow in before he was cut down by the trident and the mace. Alagon and Olaf rode up to see if there was any more combat to be had but they were too late to join in.

Meanwhile, Elysia and Cafaror were galloping on ahead and as the sun started to set ahead of them, the magic user spotted what appeared to be a large carved statue on a rocky outcrop. She approached, trying to see if there was any writing or hieroglyphs to be deciphered when the figure turned its head and greeted her in the common tongue. It was an Androsphinx and although it was wise and powerful, it could do little to help Elysia in her quest. It backed up what Ashbone and Phelim had told her and then, as the rest of the party, the “noisy ones” as it called them, approached, it flapped its huge wings and rose up into the evening sky.

The next day, Elysia picked up the pace, driving the party hard. Cafaror was looking gaunt and hollow-eyed now and had to have his skin covered entirely or it would start to blister. Using Relic again as aerial support and reconnaissance, they managed to avoid a large war party of orcs and some normal wolves. Ahead in the evening light was the edge of the Centaur Woods into which they now plunged, Elysia casting Continual Light on a wooden staff so that she could lead the way into the crepuscular forest.

It was not long after this that they began to get the feeling that they were being watched and followed. Cafaror, despite his increasingly poor state of health spotted several heat sources in the trees and Elysia suddenly remembered that Relic could detect invisible beings. She sent the little pseudo-dragon off to try and make friendly contact with them and quite soon, he returned with two visible creatures, little people with wings, bows, arrows and tiny swords. They introduced themselves as pixies and listened intently as Elysia explained the quest on which the party had embarked. They agreed to escort the party to the far side of the woods, as there were places within the forest where evil lurked and danger lay in wait for unwary travellers.

For a whole day they travelled with their new guides, meeting little in the way of woodland inhabitants. Perhaps the presence of the pixies told others that the party were not hostile; perhaps others stayed out of their way, wary of the newcomers. Whatever the reason, the party eventually arrived at the western edge of the forest, tired and weary and their horses fit to drop. They rested up and as the sun rose the next day, they entered a range of hills where the rocks and soil seemed to glow with a golden yellow hue.

Again, the use of Relic as an airborne scout kept them from running into a pack of hobgoblins who were clearly out for a fight; they did not encounter anything else apart from wildlife in the shape of stags and wild goats. Then, on the evening of the seventh day of their quest, Relic came swooping down to inform Elysia that something wondrous was coming. Down out of the darkening sky came a creature that she had never seen before. Even as it was approaching, the rest of the party suddenly slumped into unconsciousness.

It was a beautiful horse-shaped creature with a long horn in the middle of its forehead, its coat a luminous gold, its mane and tail of darker gold. Its horn and hooves were golden pink and its eyes were of a flashing violet. Where its hooves touched the ground, sparkling pink hung in the evening air. It introduced itself as Ki-Rin, in fact The Ki-Rin. It listened intently to Elysia who begged it plaintively for help and then agreed to take them, on its back, to the forest where the elves lived. Before they set off, the Ki-Rin magically created food and drink for the sleeping party members.

With Elysia and Cafaror on its back, the Ki-Rin lifted off into the sky and flew north-west for quite some considerable time. Below them, they could see the ruins of some kind of monastery building but they were in no position to worry about that now. Some time later, after having seen distant, shining lakes to the north, they touched down in the clearing of a forest. The shadows were long and the gloaming thick. All seemed quiet in the forest. Elysia wondered where the elves were; she was very soon to find out.

Friday, 24 February 2012

I've had a glass or two of wine tonight so I thought I'd have a go at the twenty questions to be found here. These answers all relate to my current Team Adventure campaign, where rough edges have been hammered into shape so that the kids don't catch themselves. Ability scores generation method?3d6 in order. Three times. Pick the best character. There is no other way. Alternative methods are heresy :) How are death and dying handled?Characters can die but there is always a chance to get them raised. If they want. I usually rule that only damage that takes a character down to lower than -10 in one round results in deader than dead. Anything between 0 and -9 renders them unconscious and they stabilise at 0, unable to do anything until healed. What about raising the dead?5000gp per raise and there’s usually a favour to be done for the clericsHow are replacement PCs handled?If a PC is deader than dead, the player is offered the option of raising or rolling a new character, who is often started at perhaps two levels behind the average for the partyInitiative: individual, group, or something else?Individual and that goes for the monsters too

Are there critical hits and fumbles? How do they work?Crits are “Roll a 20? Then roll again and if you exceed your ‘to hit’ then you do double damage. If you roll another 20, you decapitate the monster”. Fumbles, roll 1, roll again, if you get another 1, you lop either your own limb off or do some baaaad damage to a comrade

Do I get any benefits for wearing a helmet?No. Kids have enough trouble remembering their XP without faffing around with helmet bonuses

Can I hurt my friends if I fire into melee or do something similarly silly?Of course you can. Will we need to run from some encounters, or will we be able to kill everything?Engage, ignore or retreat. The choice is yours. Just be prepared to live with the consequences.

Level-draining monsters: yes or no?Yes. So remember the ‘retreat’ option.

Are there going to be cases where a failed save results in PC death?Already happened

How strictly are encumbrance & resources tracked?The former on a very casual basis, the latter less often unless the party is in the wilderness for over a week. My reference to kids and their shaky attention to detail refers.

What's required when my PC gains a level? Training? Do I get new spells automatically? Can it happen in the middle of an adventure, or do I have to wait for down time?

No training, but the PC won’t gain any new HP or spell capability until they “get back to town”

What do I get experience for?Monster kills, gold pieces, good ideas.

How are traps located? Description, dice rolling, or some combination?Mostly description but only if the party say they are looking

Are retainers encouraged and how does morale work?It’s not come up yet. How do I identify magic items?Cast IdentifyCan I buy magic items? Oh, come on: how about just potions?Of course you can’t buy magic items. If people have them, they cherish them for the rare and wondrous things they are. Then they swap them with their friends and forget that they have them. (sigh)

Can I create magic items? When and how?When you are a very powerful wizard. So not yet.What about splitting the party?I tell them not to, but they ignore me. And they pay.

Tuesday, 21 February 2012

Okay, and after last week’s introduction, let’s get started and where better to begin than with Treasure Type A.

What kind of treasure type is it? Well, the settings for the major coin types are set around the 1/3 mark, which, according to my trusty calculator, gives an average gp/xp haul of 3182 (rounding up). That’s not much for a party of five or so (which I tend to use as my standard party number, two fighters, a magic user, a cleric and a thief) – each of them would get 636xp each, which – when you look at the type of monster who’s going to be guarding said treasure - is poor reward; particularly if it’s a Lich.

Brigands and troglodytes might be an easier match.

But wait! Check out those gems and jewellery amounts! This is where a seemingly low-set treasure becomes a veritable haul. An average of 13 gems can range anywhere from 130gp value to 65,000gp worth, depending on the luck of the dice. I’ve rolled some up so you can go with those or do your own. Eight items of jewellery flesh out what is now becoming a very rich treasure type indeed. It also becomes an easily-portable haul, since the majority of the reward is going to be in the gems and jewellery rather than the oh-so-heavy coin.

The magic item percentage is a low third or so – that’s a 70% chance of there being no magic in the haul whatsoever. I’ve assumed that all three are present and you can include them or not as the fancy takes you.

As previously mentioned, there is an assortment of guardians that ranges from the insanely tough to the rather easy. Find a gang of brigands, kill them (and their 9th level fighter leader, of course – but he is only one man) and take their lovely gems and jewellery. However, being smaller items, they may well be easier to hide as well. I’m surprised that the Lich doesn’t have more in the way of scrolls – adding treasure type T to his repertoire would be an easy adjustment to make. After all, he used to be a magic user (or cleric). And I’m getting an underwater vibe for the locathah and the giant squid – anyone up for a spot of diving?

LichLocathahBrigandGiant SquidTroglodyte

The Hoard

Anyway, without further ado, here is my take on Treasure Type A. Plenty of hooks, quirks and twists in there for DMs to ponder and perhaps use.

215 copper pieces that have been battered, bent, chewed or otherwise mutilated, treated as the poor cousins of the coin world. 26 are housed within a human skull that has been covered with childish scribblings in charcoal.

A large copper jug with odd markings on the side. It is perhaps over three thousand years old and is worth only 75cp unless it is offered to a collector, who may pay a good deal more. The odd markings are a form of writing that is very difficult to translate but if this is done, the script is an account of a burial ceremony for a priest-king who was laid to rest with a large collection of grave goods including precious stones and metals.The copper jug appears to be stoppered with a substance not unlike pitch. If it is opened, it will reveal 807 silver pieces, struck in the reign of an emperor who died over fifteen hundred years ago. The coins and the jug are not otherwise connected.

127 silver pieces that date to the last seventy years or so. None is particularly noteworthy.

A wooden case that is filled with straw and in which can be found, with a fair degree of rummaging around, six bottles of fine brandy (worth 20sp each). They are well over thirty years old and have aged marvellously. There are very few of this vintage now left in the world and if the party played on their rarity, they could well bump the price up considerably. Hiding in the straw is a nest of spiders who will not take kindly to being disturbed.

736 electrum pieces in, of all places, a tarnished brass chamber pot that has been fashioned to resemble a particularly unpleasant and corrupt politician of the previous generation. The pot itself might fetch a reasonable price from a collector of such things.

Four cedarwood boxes, inlaid with lapis lazuli (worth 30 electrum pieces each) contain partially used blocks of holy incense. This is very fine incense in its own right but it is said that if it is anointed with blood from a virgin (who does not have to be killed to obtain it) and then burnt and inhaled, it will bestow mystical and revelatory dreams. As such, the incense itself is worth 75 electrum pieces per portion.

Three altar cloths, made of finest velvet and embroidered with gold thread. They show scenes of a sacred nature. If they are carefully examined, they will reveal details of a temple building that has long since been destroyed in inter-religious wars but the temple’s location can be determined by geographical landmarks. The temple is the one from which the orb, decanter, goblet and medallion were looted. The altar cloths are worth 55 electrum pieces each but they are also known to the successor cults of the temple as holy artefacts and members of those cults will be looking for them. At the DM’s discretion, one of the cloths may show the inside of the temple with details of the number and type of the altar services that were once used there.

Nine chests made of ebony, the hinges and catches of silver. They are offertory chests, and while they are easily opened with the right key, smashing them or attempting to force the lock will trigger the release of a minor spirit who will attempt to seize the thief’s heart with its fingers (DM’s discretion as to whether it succeeds or not). If it does, then the thief will suffer from a minor curse until this is lifted by a cleric. Inside each of the chests is 282gp – contained in small linen bags, each holding 20gp. Each linen bag is marked with a script that proclaims the contents to be the property of a particularly tough and vengeful bank. 401gp – 65gp of which is made up of coins that have been cut in two760gp – 201 of these coins bear the legend of a deposed prince and possession of them is in fact a capital offence, tantamount to treason. Only the desperate or the greedy will take them as payment. 389gp – 77gp of these are coins in the shape of wheels, with no other writing or image on them. 131 have the image of a clenched fist and the legend “Issue of the Protectorate” on them.

Four jars of unguent. The jars are carved from alabaster and are worth 25gp each; the unguent within is much valued by those with chronic skin conditions and will raise the value of the jars to 75gp each, a total value of 300gp

8 platinum pieces, each struck with the image of a high priest who was connected with the destroyed temple. The name of the priest, if researched in archives, may present some fragments of the legend of the temple.

A collection of four exquisitely made statuettes, each representing a season of the year. Each is worth 15pp. If the four are sold together, they will triple their value. If each is sold separately, 15pp is all the seller will get. They will also attract the attention of collectors and their henchmen, since the presence of one will imply knowledge of the whereabouts of the others. They were made for a nobleman, long since dead, whose house was constructed in a cruciform shape, each wing representing a different season.

Fire Opal – this orange gemstone seems to glow with an inner fire, scattering the light across its many intricate facets. Whoever cut this stone did so with an expertise that is nowadays rarely seen. In fact, it was the work of Gethikkar Huun, a gnomish gem-cutter of superlative skill who is said to have perished when the fire giants and salamanders overran the last gnomish city three hundred years ago. Whilst a gem of this quality and beauty would allow whoever holds it to pass unmolested by fire-using creatures (if the gem was left as a gift, of course), it is of greater value to gnomes whose reactions to its discovery will range from animated interest, through covetousness to an avarice that will prompt them to seek the gem at all costs. Its market value is 1000gp but as can be guessed from the foregoing, its worth is far higher.

A large Star Ruby that gleams with a inner fire due to the phenomenon of asterism. This ruby was once one of the eyes of an idol that stood in a temple dedicated to a dark and bloodthirsty god on the Isle of Bronze in the Sea of Fallen Stars. Whilst the cult that prayed to this god has long since been eradicated, there are still those who believe that when the idol has both its eyes restored, it may grant boons to those who have done it the service – or at least not kill them instantly when it awakes. The gem is worth 1000gp on the open market.

A Sapphire of deep cerulean blue, worth 1000gp. It is known in lore as the Tear of the Clouds and is said to have once belonged to a King of the Cloud Giants, before they waged war against the Ki-Rin and were cast down for their pride. It is also said that if the gem is taken to a place where the sky is the same colour, then looking through it will show the lost hiding place of the Cloud Giants’ treasure.

A piece of crimson coral carved into the shape of a shark. It is worth 100gp.

A clay statue, in the form of a man with a Phrygian cap, an elongated chin and nose and a sardonic expression. His eyes are cut glass which resemble gems and down his chest and stomach are three other cut glass imitation gems. This is an image of Phuukh, an ancient god of trickery and jest. Some hieroglyphs are scratched on his back and legs but apart from that, there is nothing of interest on the statue. Inside the clay, however, are three real gems, a piece of jet worth 500gp, a topaz of similar value and a bloodstone that is worth 50gp. They can only be obtained if the statue is broken and when it is, a peal of mocking laughter will ring out and slowly fade away.

A piece of eye agate that may be worth 10gp

A flake of obsidian that has been turned into an arrow head. It is worth 10gp for its gem properties but if it is bound to an arrow shaft, it will give a bonus of +2 to hit and damage, good for one use only.

A cheap necklace made of what appears to be brass. From it hang three gems, a moss agate, a blue quartz and a piece of malachite. Each gem is worth 10gp if removed from their mounts. The necklace is of such poor quality that it actually makes the gems look cheaper than they are.

The jewellery

A pair of very ornate earrings made of solid silver set with gems. The materials alone will make them worth 5000gp but research into their origin turns up an engraving that appears to show a military conquest returning from an expedition into the uncharted southern jungles carrying the severed head of what they claimed was a snake queen; she wears the very same earrings.

A ring made of gold, delicate and fragile in appearance. It loops twice around the finger and then ends in a flourish which appears to be a flower in abstract. It was the property of a celebrated courtesan called the Azure Rose, once a favourite of kings. She lost the ring when a client turned out to be a master thief and swore vengeance. She is now a lot older but nevertheless strikingly good-looking and with a very classy establishment of her own. She would be most pleased to get the ring back. Its sale value is 4000gp.

A buckle made of wrought silver and gold. It shows two bears fighting, one of silver, one of gold. It illustrates a legend regarding warrior kings from centuries ago and on the back, scratched in a very fine script is a short verse that appears to be very similar to one in the major mythology of the party’s home state. The buckle is worth 700gp

A headband made of silver, set with four pink sapphires. Its provenance is unknown but it is worth 2000gp

There are four items that were once part of the altar service of the lost temple detailed on the altar cloths.

There is a gold decanter, set with gems, worth 6000gp, a platinum medallion, also set with gems, worth 7000gp, an orb, fashioned from gold and gems, worth 4000gp and a small goblet made of wrought gold, worth 700gp.

Each of these items matches the style of the others, covered with intricate spirals, whorls and curlicues. The gems are amethysts but of a particular type sacred to the cult whose temple they graced. If the items are handled by unbelievers, they will begin to alter in hue, becoming redder as if blood is curdling within them. If the DM decides to allow one of the altar cloths to show the details of the services, the party can estimate just how much more sacred treasure there is out there, somewhere – an interesting quest beckons if they have the inclination to research further.

Scroll of Protection against All Elementals – a relative youngster amongst the ancient treasure in which it is found, this scroll not only gives protection against all types of elemental but, in a codicil, lists several of their true names. There appear to be, at the very end of the scroll, three lines of script that may be the beginning of another roll. They appear to be some kind of preamble that, if the party looks further into it, matches similar kinds of binding spells.

Plate Mail; this suit of armour is of a style that is centuries old and a person wearing it would appear odd alongside their contemporaries. It was the property of one of the militant clerics of the lost temple, one of the last of his line. Quite what it is doing alongside four holy items from his sanctuary is anyone’s guess. He may have been fleeing with them to save them from harm or he may have been hunting down the thieves that looted them. It has a bonus of +3

A dagger that is housed inside a sheath made of scuffed and scratched leather. The weapon itself has a slightly curved blade inlaid with gold in a savage and spiky pattern. The hilt is in the shape, albeit distorted, of the shoulders (crossguard), neck (hilt) and head (pommel) of a fearsome looking humanoid who, if the design is investigated, will be revealed as a fire giant. The pommel is inset with two rubies, about a quarter of an inch across, which glow vividly if illuminated. It was made by a race plagued by continual wars with giants of various varieties and was intended for use against them, hence its normal bonus of +2 is augmented to +3 if it is used against larger creatures (originally planned for use against the giants but by extension all large creatures). Its name, in the pattern of sigils on its blade is Gwaltashar.

Monday, 20 February 2012

Here’s the premise – you’ve got access to a time machine and you can go anywhere to recruit the Dream Table for your game (and it can be any game, not just D&D). Any real person, alive or dead is yours for the taking – the only condition is that they can’t already be associated with gaming; it’d just be too easy to say Gygax, Arneson and Holmes and I want something a little less predictable. So, who would you pick? What class would they play, how would they play it and what would they bring to the table in terms of sociability - and snacks?

Here’s my selection

Stephen Fry – Magic UserA seemingly bottomless pit of erudition and lore, he’d be able to cast lightning bolts even as he informed us about the temperature of the air around the bolt and the chances of being able to survive being struck by one. A consummate wordsmith, he has also been known to use the occasional fruity phrase so he’d be able to accompany his awesome magical attacks with choice bon mots and repartee. Whilst tweeting about it, probably.

Christopher Hitchens – ClericI see the Hitch playing a boozy, irreverent priest, who is by his very nature at odds with the hierarchy of his church, being more concerned with justice and good deeds than doctrine and power. Skirting the periphery of excommunication, he would also be vying with the magic user for the most eloquent performance at the table. And I’d welcome his contribution towards the refreshments as well!

Ian Botham – FighterBeefy by name, beefy by nature. If you want somebody who’s going to dig in their heels and fight to the last drop of blood to save a lost cause, this is the man to have at the table. He’ll be the last one in any retreat and as he’s a particularly awesome all-rounder, there won’t be a weapon or a tactical approach with which he’ll be unfamiliar.

Ray Mears – RangerHonestly, no handbook could anticipate what this guy could do with one wilderness and a sharp knife. Put him into a forest, come back the next day and he’ll have built a fortress. He seems like a genuinely nice guy, so I think he’d make the effort to get on with the others too. If he couldn’t get to the supermarket for snacks, I’d just send him into the woods behind my house and he’d be back half an hour later with enough for everybody.

Thursday, 16 February 2012

Something that I've noticed over the past couple of years while travelling the blogosphere is that the "Gamers in the Basement" image seems to be very prevalent, particularly in the US and Canada.

It's not something that's in my personal history but that's probably because I'm in the UK where basements are not a standard feature of most houses, unless you are lucky enough to be able to afford a very old property indeed.

So, when thinking of my early gaming experiences, I most often remember tables in dining rooms, bedrooms, a living room or two - but never a basement.

So, today's question - where did you used to game in the early days and where do you game now? And let me know if you're a US or UK gamer - I suspect I can guess most of the answers but there's always room for a surprise or two.

Tuesday, 14 February 2012

I've been working on a new series, akin to An Adventure for Every Monster inasmuch as it borrows an element therefrom and develops it.

Inspired by the ars ludi post "Treasure Tells a Story" (a marvellous post; go read it now), and the way in which I've been individualising the treasure in the AAfEM series, I've decided to work my way through the treasure types at the back of the Monster Manual and do something similar for them.

The rules I'm working to are:

Rather than dice for the percentage chance of a particular coin type, gem or jewellery appearing, I'm multiplying the %ge chance by the average amount of coin indicated by the book. So, for example, if the treasure type has "1000s of silver pieces, 1-10, 50%" rather than have an all-or-nothing roll, I'm saying 5.5 x 1000 x 50% or 2,750.

This would, I assume (my maths is not brilliant) average out in the long run and I think it'd be that little bit fairer than hacking through an army of orcs to find that the dice say that they had nothing there.

I am, however, listing the full magic for that treasure type and the DM can then dice to see if said items are there (or use them as listed, it's up to them).

I'll be trying to create hooks and ideas to arise from the hoard which may make finding treasure that little bit more interesting than just rushing back to town to cast Identify.

Hope it all works out. I'm aware that many others have tried something similar so this is just my take on the whole thing, with some hooks that might be of use.

Anyway, to kick things off, for those of you that haven't got access to the MM Treasure Type tables, here is my transcription thereof.

As well as this list, I've also gone through the MM and listed, under each treasure type, the monsters that hold it (bear in mind that there are multipliers that I've not put in e.g. Q x 10). It's an interesting anaylsis and shows the most common treasure types and the ones that nobody seems to bother with.

Sunday, 12 February 2012

The team were very reluctant to enter the sewers, not knowing what was waiting for them. They made their way back to the tavern, where they settled down for the night.

The next morning, it was decided to ride out into the wilderness again, heading for the Moat House and seeing if they could find some more monsters to kill. They set off, minus Elysia, who was busy resting and relearning her spells, but with a new member of the party, Strider the medium warhorse who Alagon had bought from a horse dealer in town that very morning.

The day was clear and bright but it didn’t stay that way for long as only a couple of hours out of town, the party was set upon by at least seven lions, whose keen nose for horseflesh and perhaps revenge for the lion killed and skinned by Cafaror all those weeks ago (yes, in the very same spot) brought them bounding in for the attack.

Hungry lions

Party of adventurers

This can't end well

Alurax, on Warnado, set off at top speed, two lions following him while the rest of the party squared up to face the approaching maned menaces. Ferros, newly raised took on three at once, with some timely assistance from Alagon. Olaf and Cafaror took one each and the fight was on!

Random wilderness encounter turns nasty

Ferros managed to whittle down a lion and finally kill it but the second one mauled him and left him unconscious. Alagon’s new horse, Strider was seized by one of the lions and brought down with a vicious bite to the throat, the heroic paladin managing to fling himself clear. Olaf was pounced on and the lion’s front and back claws inflicted horrible injuries; bleeding profusely, the dwarf was dragged off by the lion for a more leisurely lunch.

Just as things were looking grim, with Ferros, Olaf and Cafaror lying bleeding and bitten by the lions, Alurax came riding back in with his trident.

The lions had meanwhile broken off from dragging their lunch away to chase down and kill the remaining horses of the party but as Alurax came riding in, two switched their attention to him. He managed to kill one and took on the other one but it was intent on bringing down this new attacker and the long-suffering Warnado took yet more damage.

Alagon was trying to hack at his lion with two hand-axes as he had rather unwisely given his longsword to Alurax in exchange for a magical short sword which did the bare minimum of damage on the ferocious animals. The paladin fell to a savage bite and swipe of a clawed paw but the lion was felled soon afterwards by Alurax and his trident.

Everybody in the party with the exception of Alurax was now unconscious and vulnerable to whatever else the wilderness had to throw at them. The trident-wielding fighter could see that Warnado was in no state to carry anyone other that her owner back to town and so off he rode, covering the distance in but a couple of hours. At the gate, he alerted Galzor to the emergency, then made his way to the tavern where Elysia, who had heard nothing from the party, was taking it easy with a scented bath and some illuminating scrolls detailing property for sale in the town.

She swiftly got herself ready when she heard of the disaster that had befallen the party and set off at once, pausing only to hire some courtesy horses from the stables. Alurax was instructed to rest up at the tavern since he was clearly injured and had ridden hard to reach the town in time. Picking up Galzor at the gate, Elysia rode northwards along the river, their urgency multiplied by the sound of wolves howling in the distance.

At the battle site, a pack of wolves, probably the same ones who had been menacing the northern townlands, had come loping down, drawn by the scent of fresh kill. Elysia and the others were an hour away and fortunately for the party, the wolves seemed more intent on gorging themselves on the horse and lion meat than attacking the exposed and wounded party members. The approaching hoofbeats startled them and they took off, leaving the magic user to survey the scene of carnage.

Galzor healed Ferros and between them brought the rest of the party back to a working state of health, although by no means perfect. They rode slowly back to town and were soon ensconced in the tavern again, enjoying a late lunch and bickering over what some saw as Alurax’s craven desertion of his fellows. On the plus side, Zanurax was finally restored to his original form and given some new clothes to wear, since the ones that he had been wearing were still only for a six-inch high human.

Once they had a chance to talk things over, Elysia suggested that they investigate the sewers again; she suspected that something malign lurked therein but decided that the only way to find out was to go down there and hunt it.

They made their way to the vampire house and again, found themselves in the cellar. They passed through the hole in the wall and started wandering along the narrow walkway above the slimy and festering waters of the sewer tunnel itself. At the far end of the tunnel, it branched into two and the party took the left-hand tunnel, after an abortive attempt to investigate the right-hand one. Ferros had gone wandering off on his own, as had Olaf and Alagon in the opposite direction. They had encountered some suspicious side tunnels closed off by very heavy iron portcullises. Now, however, Ferros spotted something moving in the shadows just beyond his torchlight, then came scurrying back to tell the party. Elysia decided that this was definitely worth investigating and the entire party traipsed down the tunnel to the point where Ferros had seen the shadowy form. As she peered carefully around the corner, a gaunt, pale figure with razor sharp teeth and nails leapt out at her but she coolly aimed her wand of Illumination and fired off a Sunburst, which turned the creature and its fellow, who had been waiting at the top of a flight of steps, to dust.

The party poured up the stairs and found before them a choice of two tunnels. Ferros and Elysia took the right-hand one, Cafaror, Olaf, Alagon and Alurax the left. At the corner of the right-hand passage, guarding another set of steps was a third vampire, who did not last long against Ferros’ mace – a couple of hefty swings and the vampire was dissolving into a cloud of gaseous vapour. Ahead, two more vampires appeared, heading for the cleric and the magic user – a Sunburst later and they were dust as well.

Meanwhile, on the left-hand passage, Alurax and Alagon were leading the charge against a pack of four vampires who were advancing on them. The goodness of the paladin meant that the vampires were very reluctant to approach him, instead turning on Cafaror and Alurax. As the two fighters took on the fanged horde, Ferros and Elysia arrived, having taken another passageway that brought them in on the rear of the melee. Another Sunburst reduced the surviving two vampires to dust and left Alurax temporarily blinded. Olaf and Cafaror stayed with him as his sight returned.

Elysia, Alagon, Ferros, Galzor and Zanurax investigated the right hand side of the complex, arriving eventually at a corridor from which four doors opened. Each of them took up position, with Elysia and her all-conquering Wand of Illumination at the ready if the inhabitants proved more than momentarily troublesome.

She blasted the one facing Ferros as he failed to turn it; Alagon was able to pin his in a corner and hack it down by increments. Zanurax and Galzor were having more trouble with theirs as the vampires landed some telling blows on them and left them pale, shaking and weak. As things were getting hairy, Alurax arrived, with Olaf in tow to tell a tale of woe – Cafaror had been felled by a vampire and they had run to get help.

Elysia and Ferros headed off to where Cafaror had last been seen. As they rounded a corner, three vampires appeared – a tough-looking brawny one, a girl and a man who looked familiar.

I was a serving girl but now I handle pints of a different kind....

It was the art lover who had approached Cafaror before the auction and who had later disappeared, leaving a blood-stained bedroom and the elf as a murder suspect. He revealed himself to be the Fourth, the self-styled leader of this nest of vampires. Ferros stepped forward to try and turn them, keen to keep the Fourth alive so that they could use his existence to clear Cafaror of the murder charge. Unfortunately, his effort failed – vampires are serious undead and his faith was not yet strong enough. Elysia blasted the three of them with her wand but although the girl and the brawny vampire were eliminated, the Fourth remained standing and flung himself at the two party members. Ferros managed to grab his potion of Speed and whisked Elysia to safety – as the Fourth came after them, Alurax fired an arrow that hit the vampire and caused him to dissolve into gas.

Still under the influence of his Speed potion, Ferros rushed to find what had happened to Cafaror. With Elysia trying to catch up, they found the fallen fighter with a vampire crouched over him, draining his blood. Ferros rushed in, dragged Cafaror to safety as Elysia fired another Sunburst which destroyed the vampire.

Ferros rushed a bound and restrained Cafaror through the sewers to the cellar of the house, where he was wrapped in curtains in case the daylight burned him and then taken to the Council of Elders. Elysia and the others had finished off the last two vampires and were now checking the various rooms. In a pit in one of the rooms that, until now, they had not entered, they found a hoard of coins, gems, a silver brooch and a bundle of scrolls that made the eyes of the magic user light up with delight.

The party returned to the surface, having restrained Zanurax and Galzor in case they too were infected with vampirism. They would now spend a fretful few hours while the Council of Elders searched through their archives to discover what could be done for Cafaror. And there was still the knowledge that the Fourth, though turned to gas, could yet reform his body and cause them further trouble.

This adventure takes place in a rocky gorge high in the mountains. Through the gorge winds a track that, whilst dangerous, is still used by the local merchants as a trade route. However, recently, contact has been lost with two caravans and a fortified tower where a small garrison had been stationed to deal with bandits. The merchants have gathered a reward for the party if they will undertake to investigate and, if possible, eliminate the threat.

The Opposition

Little is known about the breeding habits of chimerae but one thing is certain – their fiery nature makes for a passionate mating season and that is what is happening in the gorge. A female chimera has taken up residence in a cave on the side furthest from the track and now two males have arrived in the area to vie for her attentions. Vying in this instance involves fights, demonstrations of physical prowess and delivering fresh meat to the entrance of the cave. The Decomposition

Over the past few weeks since the arrival of the two males, various individuals have entered the gorge but not returned. Their remains can still be found by the party when they arrive. The first is a hero who the merchants hired before they resorted to the party. His body, or what is left of it can be found scattered across a patch of rocks near the far end of the gorge. Nearby is the half-eaten body of a pegasus. The hero had a suit of magical chainmail (+3, 2000xp value) and a +2 Dragon Slayer sword (900xp).

The sword is known as Skyworm Splitter and its blade has a roseate hue to it. The hilt basket is intricately shaped and if studied, the pattern depicts a battle between a beast breathing fire and a man in armour and a winged helmet. It is +4 against all true dragons and does triple damage against red dragons.

He had signed up for the mission, convinced that the menace in the gorge was a dragon but was sadly mistaken although he never had the chance to find that out as his winged steed was knocked out of the sky by the chimerae.

The second individual was an evil cleric who was passing through with his bodyguards on his way to another destination altogether. The chimerae amused themselves with knocking rocks and boulders into his party and then swooping down, routing the surviving horses and finishing off the men at arms. The cleric leapt to what he thought was safety but a loose ledge gave way and he plunged into the gorge, his fall arrested by a sturdy tree halfway down. Unfortunately, whilst the chimerae could not get to him, he could not free himself and he starved to death over the course of a week. Round his neck hangs a Talisman of Ultimate Evil (3,500xp) and in his pouch is a scroll of Protection v Possession (2000xp) - a nice little reward for anyone who is brave enough to climb the hundred feet down to the tree, or the eighty feet up from the floor of the gorge. The bones of the cleric’s bodyguard and their mounts are either scattered along the road or at the bottom of the gorge, along with

In some thick undergrowth at the very bottom of the gorge will be found (if the party are making a detailed search) the rotting remains of a woman in travelling gear. Both her legs are broken and she died from the bleeding caused by internal injuries sustained in a fall as she tried to get away from the chimerae. Around her neck is a silver and gem-studded necklace that is worth a thousand gold pieces. She is the sister of one of the merchants who hired the party and was on her way to an important meeting with another merchant. Stuffed into a pouch near the body are several scrolls, encoded with a cipher that detail plans to set up a cartel to control the supply of certain commodities. The dead woman’s brother will want to see them returned or be certain that they have not fallen into the hands of rival merchants. He will hire an assassin of suitable level to follow the party and check to see if they recover the scrolls. If they do, and it is clear that they do not intend to return them, the assassin has orders to recover them by whatever means are necessary. The Fortified Position

The small watchtower still stands near the southern end of the gorge and if the party approaches it from the track, they will find the gates closed and no sign of life. Gaining entry, they will swiftly discover that the garrison is no more; several burnt bodies litter the courtyard and the stable door has been smashed in. Bits of mouldering horse bestrew the floors inside. Two more bodies, killed by claws are shoved up against a wall.

If the party checks the rest of the watchtower, they will find more armour than can be accounted for by the bodies they have come across. A competent tracker will discover that a trail leads away from the watchtower into the rocky hills but an hour into the search, the remaining bodies will be found, horribly smashed as if dropped from a great height (which is exactly what happened).

The watchtower’s treasury (suitably trapped) contains

907 silver pieces793 electrum pieces 1876 gold pieces.

Scattered across the scene of the fleeing guards is about a hundred or so platinum pieces, the property of the commander, who was one of the men who ran. Hunting for all the platinum pieces will mean that the party runs the risk of being surprised by the chimerae if they choose to attack at this point (rather than earlier as the party follow the trail)

Inside the cave where the female chimera has taken residence are various pieces of horses and bodies that have been deposited outside by the males and dragged in to be stored and enjoyed at the female’s leisure. Amongst these body parts can be found a leather pouch with three gems inside

A fiery orange jacinth worth 3500gp. This is known as the Sunset Stone and was looted from the crown of the Kings of the Elven Fastness some three hundred years ago. It is said that whoever holds the stone can gaze through it into the light of the setting sun and see the face of the person to whom they will lose their heart. Whether this is true or not is at the DM’s discretion.

A chrysoberyl that is worth 100gp

A red-brown spinel, with a value of 100gp

The pouch has a design on it that is the emblem of a particular noble house several days’ ride north of the gorge. Returning it to a representative of that house would net the finder a respectable reward and the favour of the noble family.

Further back into the cave in a pile of dead grass and leaves is a bottle in which can be found a potion of Diminution (300xp)

What I'm DMing for 6 new junior players

Old School Links to Wisdom

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That's what Old School means to me

"These rules are flexible and open to interpretation - designed not to cover all conceivable situations, but to allow good Referees and Players the freedom to create and play games of their own design."

from the Lulu download page for The White Box S&W from BHP

"This game is unlike chess in that the rules are not cut and dried. In many places, they are guidelines and suggested methods only. This is part of the attraction of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons"

About Me

Over halfway to 90, I started playing AD&D when the Police were a cool band and Punk was wild. I am a father to a ten-year-old Junior Grognard and have now managed to establish a five-strong gaming group made up of him and four of his friends, ages ranging from 10 to 11. Solidly Old-School.
High fives and natural 20s to you all!